


Let Me Out

by sweetpea73



Category: EXO (Band)
Genre: Age Swap, Alternate Universe - Witchcraft, Baekhyun harem, Explicit Language, M/M, Mild Blood, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Power Dynamics, Rituals
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-12-31
Updated: 2018-03-19
Packaged: 2019-02-25 21:32:24
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 16,893
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13221666
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sweetpea73/pseuds/sweetpea73
Summary: In retrospect, Jongdae thinks that opening a portal to Hell wasn’t the best idea.





	1. Welcome Home

**Author's Note:**

> Title from "Let Me Out" by Gorillaz  
> inspired by "look what you made me do" by taylor swift (mainly the line - "honey I rise from the dead"), "sorry not sorry" by demi lovato, and "hotter than hell" by dua lipa 
> 
> Also I wanted to do a witch!au/coven for such a long time. This is just a drabble, but I like this Au a lot - maybe I should continue it?
> 
> Happy New Years! (this is a mini present) ^^

It’s early morning when Jongdae wakes with a vigor. He’s pulled out of his sleep again from a call in a language he does not speak. He’s heard it before, but he had ignored it for so long. It tailored to him, learning his name through whispers of the world, and called to him specifically. It aches, cries like a wounded animal. And if there’s anything that pulls on Jongdae’s heartstrings more, it’s a helpless animal.

Today, on this day, he will respond. He’s been researching the means to do it. It’s an overwhelming spell to open a portal to another dimension, but Jongdae has faith in his abilities. He’s studied hard to be a ranked witch, and now is an excellent time to prove himself worthy. The High Priestess is looking for new Elders after the fall of the maidens in the Daejeon sector. 

He has determination in his gut and an overwhelming sense of urgency. He must do this now before he misses his chance entirely. 

He dresses in his robes and gathers his tablet and the items needed for the spell. He’s got the luminescent salt crystals and chalk, but he’s going to need a lot more than just a line of salt for the incantation. Jongdae runs down to the pantry, knowing that one missing salt can will go unnoticed, especially with the amount of spell casters trying to retaliate from a rival coven. The young witch glides down the stairs, heart aching as it pounds with a vigor. The pantry is a huge stockroom, half for spells and half for actual cooking. The huge room is stockpiled with everything imaginable, courtesy of the enslaved elves that take care of the manor. With 30 witches in the coven, it seems like a stressful job, but not many stay in the manor for that long (either from jobs or death – the latter more of a reason as of late). 

Jongdae places the crystals and chalks into the never-ending burlap sack, easily dropping it in since the items will never clang loudly on the floor. His eyes are on the giant salt container, fingers gripping the edges of the can, when the pantry door opens and he’s blinded by a light. Jongdae stands frozen, a deer in headlights. His tongue is suddenly twisted as the person who entered quickly wrapped his tongue in a spell, and it’s heavy in his mouth. He’s stuck and caught sneaking in the pantry for _goddamn salt_.

“Jongdae?” the voice around the giant shadowy figure appears, and recognition hits Jongdae’s ears. 

“Ann-Woawl,” Jongdae tries to pronounce, but his tongue can’t cooperate with a charm wrapped around it. The shadow figure instantly yelps an apology, and Jongdae can feel the spell dissolve on his tongue. It’s sweet tasting. “Thanks, Chanyeol.”

“Sorry for the tongue twister. Thought you were a troll,” Chanyeol beams while Jongdae chokes over the insult. He’s dressed in his nightwear, a simple sleep shirt and shorts that expose his mile-long legs. His hand still is engulfed in a flame to see into the pantry. He’s a pyro witch, same initiate rank as Jongdae and he’s considered friendly in most cases. Chanyeol is pleasant by nature, unlike other pyro-hotheads. Really, Chanyeol is just a glorified nightlight. “What are you doing in the pantry at this hour?”

Jongdae discretely tries to put the salt container into the burlap sack. He shrugs, “I could ask you that same.”

Chanyeol flushes a little, “I-it was just a snack.”

Jongdae laughs brightly. Despite Chanyeol’s immense potential as a pyro, he’s a kid at heart. He only joined the coven because he thought he would make friends. 

“Yeah, same.”

Chanyeol looks like he’s letting his guard down, especially with that smile that shows all of his teeth. Jongdae securely ties the burlap sack and throws it over his shoulder. He grabs a few chocolates on the way out of the pantry, excusing himself around the flame hand. “I’m off. Let me know tomorrow when you want to practice enchantments –oof!”

Jongdae is close-lined by Chanyeol’s outstretched arm (the non-fire one, thank Heavens). It catches right at his throat, instantly knocking him back a little into the pyro’s corner. 

“I know you techie’s are into some weird shit, but crystals? Are you crunching on _salt crystals_?” Chanyeol’s eyes unintentionally burn a fiery red as he instigates, and Jongdae hitches his breath.

“No, it’s not like that-” Jongdae breathes, pleading his case, but Chanyeol has already figured it out. He widens his eyes.

“You’re doing an incantation,” he says knowingly. Jongdae swallows hard underneath his fiery stare. He’s been found out. Chanyeol’s eyes light up with a new intensity, almost like fireworks crackling in his irises. He’s grinning ear to ear, almost devilish looking. “You need a spotter.”

Jongdae chokes, “Wha-? What? No. No, I don’t –“

“Just in case you need help or mess up. I can totally do it-“

“Are you listening to me? No, I don’t –“ Jongdae gasps when Chanyeol starts to lift him out of the pantry and hike him up over his shoulder. “Hey! Put me down!”

“You have to be quiet,” Chanyeol grins again, twisting his finger around to tie Jongdae’s tongue is a knot. “There. Much better.”

The tech-witch sulks at the tie again and lets his long-legged friend carry him out of the pantry. He supposes that it wouldn’t hurt to have another witch helping him with the spell. It’s a pretty hefty spell, if Jongdae’s honest with himself. He’s prepared for it, but there’s still a lot that needs to be done. He just hopes that Chanyeol is ready to witness it.

Jongdae quietly guides the pyro witch to the grand hall, the biggest open space that can fit the correct incantation circle. The pyro releases Jongdae from his arms and the spell and watches intently when the tech-witch pulls out several salt crystals, salt, a tablet, and a bowl with various items – some of which are not technically legal in the magic world.

“Is this for the promotion?” 

“Yes. I want to present to the Priestess with something powerful.” As Jongdae inspects his tablet for the ritual, Chanyeol picks at a bone. “Don’t touch that. That’s an intact chameleon skeleton. It took me ages to find.”

Chanyeol instantly straightens his spine with a worried look that washes over his face. There’s other things in the bowl that Jongdae thinks would scare him even more, but he doesn’t want his friend to think less of him. 

Jongdae lines the salt in a circle shape, closing the space between him and Chanyeol. Jongdae cleanses his space with whispers to some spirits, and silence falls amongst them. Jongdae uses his magic to have the chalk draw a six-pointed star to the exact specifications as said in the ritual on his tablet. He then gathers the salt crystals placing them at each point, careful not to dispel any salt or chalk. A candle is set at each cardinal direction to set the spells origin.

Jongdae turns to Chanyeol who is warily standing outside of the circle. “Light the candles when I say so?”

“Yeah,” Chanyeol swallows, eyes set on the circle before him. Jongdae kneels in the center of the star with the bowl of sacrifice in his hands. He works carefully, pluck off each herb and cracking each acorn. It’s a grueling process according to the book he carries on his tablet, but Jongdae knows he can do it. He’s strong enough.

Crushed rose, chameleon, sand, a few crushed acorns, and red pepper are thrown into the mix, along with a splash of water. The last portion of the bowl requires Jongdae’s physical touch. He grabs a blade he acquired from the kitchen and gives a brave breath before slicing his right hand.

“Jongdae, what are you doing? Blood sacrifices are forbidden magic,” Chanyeol whispers harshly and Jongdae whimpers when he works the blood out of his hand. The dark red liquid rolls down his palm in little beady waves before Jongdae can finally control it and let it steadily drop. 12 drops, to be exact. No more, no less.

“Oh, geez. Baekhyun is going to murder you if get blood on the floor.” Jongdae hears Chanyeol mumble.

Once the twelfth drop has landed in the bowl, effectively covering each piece of sacrifice, Jongdae wraps a bandage tight around his sliced palm using his teeth and left hand. He doesn’t have much time. He has to work fast before the blood coagulates.

“Light the candles,” Jongdae barks the order, urgency running through his veins. He quickly swipes through the scripted spell on his tablet, and he notices that the candles have not sparked. He whips his head to Chanyeol, looking up at his friend. “What are you doing? I said light them.”

Chanyeol’s eyes flicker to Jongdae’s hastily bandaged hand and then to the bowl. He looks timid, scared even. “Jongdae… I don’t know. This feels –“

“Do you want to help me rank up or not?” Jongdae presses sternly. He does not need a moral lecture right now. He can see his emptied blood drying in the bowl, rose petal sucking it up dry. 

Jongdae can light the candles on his own, he was going to anyway, but it takes a lot of his energy just to conjure up a flame when he is not an elemental witch. Chanyeol’s flame would help immensely, especially when Jongdae needs all the energy he can get with the actual spell. But, he can do it.

When Chanyeol makes no move to help, instead looking sadly at his friend, Jongdae sighs, “Fine. Just watch then if you don’t want to help.”

Jongdae breathes in and closes his eyes with palms ready to receive a spark. He can create some fire using his tech powers, but it doesn’t come at an instant like Chanyeol’s pyro. There’s a spark between Jongdae’s fingers tips after a few quick mutters under his breath, and finally he can light the candles. With the wicks in between his fingertips, the currents catch it and light so quickly. Soon, all four cardinal candles are lit, and Jongdae kneels back into the center of the star. There’s the memorized incantation on his lips, and instantly a floating script is drawn in the air by the bowls contents, now a dark grungy red because of Jongdae’s blood. It floats, dripping slightly as Jongdae continues the long chant. Jongdae then dips his fingers into the mixture and traces a frame of a door in the air. The mixture stays as a doorway and starts to dribble onto the floor with the sickly mixture. 

Jongdae breathes steadily once again even though his sliced hand is shaking terribly with nerves. With his remaining energy he finally repeats the incantation with the final word, “ _Open!_ ”

The door way with the blood script starts to dribble more, and a bright light emanates from the floating painted doorway. Everything surrounding the circle starts to shake, even the floor. He can hear Chanyeol cursing as he’s thrown off balance. Jongdae wishes that he had cleansed the space more, but then perhaps he wouldn’t get the Priestess’s attention. 

There, in the circle, a dark doorway opens. Jongdae closes his eyes and breathes, entering the doorway not physically, but spiritually. His spirit drifts from the circle and into the doorway, curiosity sucking him in. He hesitantly turns back to see his own body kneeling before the open doorway, lips pursing with each syllable. Chanyeol’s screams for help are distant as Jongdae’s spirit draws closer inside the doorway. 

Everything is dark as Jongdae floats through. The air is thick, like blood. At the end of this dark hallway is a tiny bit of light, just as it is on the other side, to the real world. Jongdae draws closer and closer to it, hearing the familiar sounds that he’s heard in his dreams. Their foreign, otherworldly, but he knows something is desperate on the other side.

He comes to a beautiful sight, something that is so drastically different to the dark. There’s a heavenly gate on the other side, one etched in golden vines and white-washed stone. The only thing in his path is a door that is frosted. Jongdae cannot see through its window clearly, but he’s curious as ever. It’s definitely not what he expected.

_Knock, knock, knock._

Jongdae’s slightly startled by the sudden series of knocks. His spiritual feet knock down to the fluffy ground, no longer floating above. He’s knees knock into each other from the energy draining in his body as he stands in this other dimension. 

_Knock, knock, knock._

Jongdae gasps when a shadowy figure looms behind the frosted glass of the window pane in the door. It looks human, at least the silhouette is right. It just stands there, waiting.

“ _H-hello?_ ” Jongdae tries, but he feels his voice not carry very well in this light and airy space. The figure does not move, nor does it respond. There’s only knocks between the space.

_Knock, knock, knock._

Jongdae knows he has to act fast, but he’s in a difficult position. This is not what he expected. With every breath he takes, he can feel his energy slowly slipping away. There’s not much time. He has to make a decision fast.

He takes a few shaky steps to the door, breathing heavy as he waits in front of the door. The shadowy figure does not move in any way, which makes Jongdae even more nervous. He wants to question this place, but he can barely move. His last actions are key to his journey, and he finally opens the frosted door. He waits with baited breath to see the shadowy figure on the other side.

There, before him, stands a man dressed in all black, tight against his frame. He’s got jet black hair styled with an undercut and lips poised on his face. He’s eyes are round and piercing, and the whites of his eyes are the only thing pure on him, contrasted by the darkness of his irises. This stranger makes Jongdae’s skin crawl from his cold atmosphere. 

“ _H-hello?_ ” Jongdae repeats, and the strangers cold stare breaks a little. He blinks and there’s some warmth in his face, along with a shy smile. 

“ _Thank you for opening the door. I was waiting for you_ ,” he says deeply. His voice is pleasant sounding, deep and whisper-like. Jongdae is entranced, suddenly stuck in the moment. The other takes notice and stiffens. “ _Won’t you let me in?_ ”

Jongdae chokes on his words, suddenly not being able to breathe. His energy is depleting, all until his last breath. He watches wordlessly as the stranger steps over the barrier of the heavenly gate and onto the clouds, into Jongdae’s space. Jongdae is petrified as the stranger comes closer and closer, each step drawing near, until the stranger is nearly a breath away. His large, cold eyes search Jongdae as if he’s inspecting him. His mouth is pulled into that poised position as he contemplates.

“ _I’m impressed_ ,” the stranger lifts the edge on his lips into a smirk. His eyes are level with Jongdae’s own, and the tech-witch can only see an endless darkness. “ _Those that answer usually don’t stay up for this long_.”

Jongdae lets out a shaky breath, and the other looks bemused with a twisted sense. Jongdae suddenly feels his body reel backwards by a force, his spirit connecting back to his body. He travels through the heavenly portion into the black bloody walls and then suddenly slammed into his body. 

But it’s dark. So, dark.

 

 

When he comes to, eyes struggling to open, Jongdae finds himself lying on his right side, curled into the chalk star. The lights are shut off in the manor, and the candles have been blown away. The mixture has been knocked over, spilled onto the floor in a bloody coagulated mess. He’s alone in the foyer of the manor, Chanyeol no where in sight. In retrospect, Jongdae thinks that opening a portal to Hell wasn’t the best idea.

He lays down onto his back, exhaustion filling his lithe body. Disappointment rings in his head. He’s failed. 

“It would have never worked.”

He sighs into the dark, laying in his own filthy mistakes. He closes his eyes and lets the shame wash over him.

“Don’t be so jaded. Of course it worked.”

Jongdae suddenly scrambles up onto his knees and searches for the clearly deep voice that scoffed at him. Right there, coming from seemingly nowhere, stands the stranger in black. He stands, poised and proper, and without a doorway in sight. 

“H-how did you …?” Jongdae looks between the stranger and the portal that _should be right behind him_. There should have not been something on the other side that could come in. At least, not without an equal sacrifice, and Jongdae is pretty sure he’s still here. He pats his body just to be sure. 

The stranger lets out a bemused sound at that when he stares down at Jongdae. “You let me in, that’s how.”

Jongdae looks around again, just to make sure that everything around him is alright. Despite the mess on the floor and the lights out, everything seems to be normal, just slow and silent. Although, Jongdae supposes he could have traveled to a different dimension, but he’s pretty sure Hell doesn’t have an equivalent to Baekhyun’s manor. That would just be absurd. 

“Where is everyone? Where’s Chanyeol?” Jongdae asks, head spinning around the room because he’s too weak to stand. The manor is dead silent, eerie for this time. Chanyeol should be here, unless –

“You and I were the only ones in the doorway,” the stranger answers Jongdae’s apparent thoughts, and that scares him. The stranger huffs at the scared look and points down at the ground. “You’re thinking out loud.”

Jongdae looks, and notices his scrambled thoughts scribbled in a bloody mess on the ground. His magic still works, even when he’s barely able to stand.

“When you’re doing a powerful spell, sometimes the timeline gets askew between the circle and outside world. It might take a moment to catch up,” the stranger says calmly, and Jongdae briefly wonders how this person is so calm about magic. It’s not like magic is mainstream. Perhaps they are a witch too.

“There, the clock is catching up,” the stranger nods up toward the staircase leading down to the foyer to the grand clock. Jongdae follows his head, but stops just short to admire the strong jawline of the man he’s looking up at. He had such a 180 appearance, one minute very sweet and even cute – especially with a disarming smile, and the next was sinister with cold, black eyes and a frown that could stop a nation. 

Said cold eyes lock onto Jongdae’s, and the tech-witch suddenly feels embarrassed for staring so openly. He apologizes quickly, and the other simply shrugs. “When the time synchronizes, you will break the salt barrier.”

Jongdae frowns at the order. The man before him, standing patiently, can’t just order the witch around. Jongdae wasn’t even there to grab this stranger. All he wanted to do was rescue the animal crying to be released. “No.”

The stranger blinks surprised and then squints down to the witch beneath. His frown deepens, and his voice drops dangerously. “You act like you have a choice.”

Jongdae tries to puff up his chest and tries his hardest to straighten himself on his knees, ever defiant. There’s no way he’ll let this guy – _this thing_ – enter the manor from a portal. If Jongdae did this ritual successfully, he knows that this thing came from a place that he wanted to escape. 

“I brought you here, and I can easily take you back,” Jongdae croaks. It’s not true, he’s brittle at this point, but he hopes the other doesn’t know too much about that.

“You’d die trying.” The stranger doesn’t even look at him, now his attention focused on the grand clock that is ticking close to near synchronization. He’s poised and confident standing there with his arms crossed. “You’re a very powerful witch, but not a very bright one. You have to break the seal.”

Shame and self-doubt seep into Jongdae’s mind quickly, and soon he’s thinking so sadly. He’s done this to himself. He did this ritual so selfishly, just for his own promotion, and now he’s being punished for it, for sure. Normally the ever-bright witch, Jongdae feels so lonely and weak before the stranger. He’ll be mocked and tormented for the rest of his life. That is, if he’s not burned at the stake for using banned magic. 

“It’s time,” the stranger in black says dryly. He lazily cracks his neck and rolls his head on his shoulders. His voice is deep and resounding within the circle. “Decide which side of history you want to be on, kid.”

 

_What?_

 

“Jongdae!” 

There’s a rush of people, and a clamber of commotion surrounding the salt circle. Jongdae watches as faces loom over with horrified looks. There’s pushing and crowding, and then Chanyeol pops in front of the group, frantically looking for Jongdae. Once he spots his friend on the ground weakened, he sighs with relief.

“Who’s that?” 

There’s a commotion when the other members of the coven realize that there is a stranger standing in the circle with the beloved initiate. The stranger stays stagnant, cold and collective as the whispers continue. Chanyeol doesn’t seem happy. He’s got fire in his eyes and he barks, “What did you do to him?”

Chanyeol’s hand bursts into flames from agitation, and the stranger simply watches casually. He says with a disinterested drawl, “You’d be a fool to think I made that mess. He did that to himself.”

Jongdae doesn’t like being called that, but it is true. This was his fault entirely.

Chanyeol growls with annoyance, “I said what did you do to him? Answer me!”

The stranger makes a face of confusion, and Jongdae tries to make sense of it too – _did Chanyeol not hear_? Chanyeol tries to break the barrier with his fists, but the circle has a non-penetrable surface of magic that zaps at him every time he hits it. The pyro burns his hands from it and instantly groans with defeat.

“You can’t break the seal through the outside, you idiot!” But Chanyeol continues to punch and kick at the barrier mercilessly. The stranger shakes his head, unable to communicate properly with the witch. He looks to Jongdae sadly, rubbing at his face. “Did they teach you anything in this coven?”

“I –“ Jongdae wants to retort something funny (like _did Hell teach you how to be a fucking prick??_ ), but he’s feeling dizzy and weak again. He falls on his hands in front of him and groans. He feels like he’s going to hurl, pass out, and hurl again. 

“Hey. Don’t pass out. Hey,” there’s hands on Jongdae’s shoulders, soothing circles to his back. Jongdae involuntarily shivers. “You need to break the seal and say your graces before this circle sucks all the energy out of you.”

There’s a ringing in Jongdae’s ears that he can’t get rid of, and it feels like his soul is splitting from his body again. His eyes roll back into his head and he can’t help but feel his body sway. The stranger catches him and shakes him back to some consciousness. He’s pointed, “Hey. You’re going to die if you don’t break the circle. _Why don’t any of you witches understand that_?”

Jongdae finds it hard to breathe, mostly because he understands that he will have to die if he wants to keep this thing contained. He never meant for this to happen. He didn’t want to die.

Jongdae gets back up on his knees and weakly faces the stranger once again. The stranger has a concentrated look on his face, and the people surrounding the barrier all are intently watching with concern written in their features. They can’t understand what’s going on in here, perhaps the barrier is soundproof, but nevertheless, they can’t help. It’s all on Jongdae, and he can barely stand let alone fight a stranger.

“I have to do this.”

The stranger says, and Jongdae blinks at him. He suddenly pushes Jongdae back, and the tech-witch reaches out behind him to catch himself. He loses his balance and ends up falling back, smacking himself on the ground. The stranger approaches fast, and Jongdae scrambles to get himself upright. In the process, he backs right up into the barrier. There’s determination in the stranger’s eyes as he looms over the witch, and Jongdae can’t help but feel fear rake down his spine. This is it, he’s dead.

_Pop!_

Suddenly, the barrier behind his back breaks, popping like a bubble. The energy that was getting sucked out of Jongdae pauses, and the tech-witch can finally breathe suddenly. The stranger in the black suit blinks surprised and the people gathered around look horrified. The silence is crushing, and Jongdae suddenly realizes why he can breathe. 

The barrier is broken. 

Jongdae looks to his left and sees the knocked over candle breaking over the line and displacing the salt. He did that. He knocked over the candle. 

“Wow, that actually worked,” the stranger says with a little impressed smile. He turns to Jongdae with a gentler tone. “Good work.”

Regret swallows thickly in Jongdae’s throat, and he watches as the people that gathered stiffen in the presence of the unknown. The stranger in black looks to the crowd with squinted cold eyes, and the witches around him displace quickly from an invisible force. Some cower away in fear, others are pushed to the sides until a voice from the balcony above rings amongst them. 

“It’s fucking 2am. Why the hell is everyone screaming?” Baekhyun yawns as he descends the staircase in his silk night robes. He rubs at his eyes and finally halts when his eyes spot the stranger in focus. Confused blinks at Jongdae on the ground and the pissed off stranger slowly turn into horrific realization.

The stranger growls, “Byun _fucking_ Baekhyun.”

“Fuck,” the Elder eloquently puts before the stranger launches himself out of the salt circle and grabs Baekhyun by the throat. Confusion runs through the coven, and they all watch helplessly as their Elder struggles underneath the stranger in black. Baekhyun’s turning different shades underneath the stranger’s tight grip, and he grunts, “You should be dead.”

“I think I’m pretty alive now, don’t you think?” the stranger snips and then launches Baekhyun down the stairs. The Elder rolls down the carpet and wheezes once his body hits the floor. His silk robe covers his body pathetically, pale white skin jutting out and bruises flashing at his throat. He looks so pitiful.

The stranger sneers at the cowardice amongst the witches. He laughs sadly, “This is what you’ve done to the coven when I was gone? What a sorry excuse for a clan.”

Baekhyun seethes from the ground as he pulls himself up. The witches around him gasp when he stirs, but he forces them to stay away. He growls, “I’ll put you back where you came from.”

The stranger actually laughs out loud at the absurdness. His eyes darken something fierce, and Jongdae can’t but shiver at it. “I’d like to see you try. Now, if you’ll excuse me.”

The stranger in black makes his way up the stairs. The witches silently watch with their eyes as the footsteps disappear onto the next floor and a stranger makes himself at home.

“Who _the fuck_ let him in here?” Baekhyun growls, and Jongdae wants to melt into the floor. He’s never seen the Elder this mad before. As if the Elder sensed his fear, he looked directly to Jongdae, who currently flopped himself to the ground out of exhaustion. One stern look at Jongdae, and Baekhyun already groans. “Of course it’s you. It’s always you.”

Baekhyun staggers to his feet, denying help from any of the other coven members. He stomps over to the melted pile of Jongdae and lifts him by his collar. The tech-witch yelps in surprise and then sulks as the Elder gives him the sternest look. 

“Out of all the damn doors to open, why did you open his?” Baekhyun huffs with a whine.

“I didn’t know. I didn’t know,” Jongdae repeats the mutter sadly and whimpers when he thinks Baekhyun’s going to smack him. 

“Do you have any idea who he is?” Baekhyun strains, and Jongdae shakes his head sadly. Baekhyun sighs long and hard. “That’s Do Kyungsoo.”

Jongdae blinks. “Am I supposed to know who that is?”

“Oh my God, you’re useless.” Baekhyun nearly abandons Jongdae, but instead smacks the back of his head. “He’s actually the worst piece of garbage on the planet, and I got rid of him years ago.”

“He doesn’t look that bad to me,” Jongdae says quietly, and yelps when Baekhyun smacks him again. His lips jut out in a pout.

“He seduced you, you idiot,” Baekhyun sneers, and Jongdae quietly snorts at that. “Don’t underestimate him. He’s a very powerful witch. They don’t call him _the Devil_ for nothing.”

There’s silence in the room. It’s so quiet, you could hear a pin drop. 

“He’s not _the_ Devil, Baekhyun. Come on, that’s absurd,” Jongdae scoffs, suddenly feeling brave. This was all absurd.

Baekhyun frowns and drops Jongdae onto the floor, his heels heading towards the kitchen. The tech-witch winces when he lands hard on his knees. The Elder has a mixed look, one of anger and one of devastation. There’s bruises on his neck, tears pricking at his eyes, and a hollowness to his voice. “No, but he might as well be. He has no regard for human lives other than his own. And you just brought him back from the grave. Congratulations.”


	2. 10 Padlocks

The poor boy looks so frail and fragile underneath the pale light of the suns first break in the morning. He’s cold and breathing shallowly. The dusty room with stark white sheets doesn’t help Jongdae’s dismal appearance either. Despite his appearance now, Baekhyun is still impressed with his feat. It was foolish, but it was brilliant.  


Baekhyun crosses his stiff legs as he watches over the young unconscious witch from a chair a couple of feet away. Jongdae was one of Baekhyun’s charges – a little witch-in-training that showed no red flags. He always presented as harmless. The worst he had done in the past was break into the familiars play pen to pet one of the headmasters felines. Baekhyun never thought a measly tech-witch could conjure up one of the most powerful resurrection spells known to the magic community.  


Baekhyun cocks his head as Jongdae gurgles and stirs in his state. There’s a simple mewl that presses through his lips that has Baekhyun’s thoughts stirring. Jongdae was a whiner underneath him, a plaything that Baekhyun totally underestimated. This seemingly innocent charge hid all his abilities even when he was at Baekhyun’s mercy. Baekhyun grimaces at the thought. No charge should be able to outsmart him, especially one that begs to be taken.

Jongdae suddenly gasps from his position, air rushing through him like a gust. He rises and chokes on the air. He’s frantic, eyes wide and scared. His cheeks are hollow and face still pale. When he catches Baekhyun’s eye, he looks as if he’s seen a ghost. 

“Ah, you’re awake,” Baekhyun tightens his smile as he ventures a little closer to the awakened witch. Jongdae props himself back on an arm while his other spreads across his chest and clenches at his thin shirt. His gaze darts to the sheets immediately, and he gives a wide, blank stare. His breath slows from its frantic pace. 

“Jongdae?” There’s no response. Baekhyun doesn’t like this, not at all. “Jongdae? Are you alright?”

The tech-witch blinks and then lifts his head to find the voice. Baekhyun meets his dark eyes and watches as the other slowly gazes around the room. He takes his time to observe his surroundings before he even makes a move to respond. It’s an older room, one that hasn’t been used in years. Not many people know of this room, and Baekhyun intends to keep it that way.

Baekhyun watches as Jongdae’s Adam’s apple bobs as he swallows thickly. He purses his lips in a pout and his eyes droop. “I’m sorry.”

Baekhyun can’t help but let out a breathy laugh. “The first thing you do when you come to is apologize. I’ve trained you well.”

Baekhyun inches closer, now sitting on the edge of Jongdae’s bed. He places a hand on Jongdae’s shin and instinctively rubs it as a soothing gesture. The charge sinks into the bed, now relaxed. The Elder softens his stiff smile and watches as Jongdae eases into comfort with a bashful little curl of his lip. Damn it all, despite this imp being a pain in Baekhyun’s ass, Jongdae is still one of the cutest charges he has claimed with the alluring spell. 

“At least you look a little more alive now. Dead witches get us bad publicity,” Baekhyun chuckles. He doesn’t need anymore deaths over his head. The Chairmen have already sent out his best factions to die. He wants to hold onto as many charges as he can to stay relevant. 

Jongdae croaks, “Where am I?”

“The manor, of course,” Baekhyun chirps, hoping his bubbly smile can woo the other out of being too inquisitive. But with Jongdae’s eyes looking just past the Elder to the dusty boxes and ten padlocks on the door, he knows the tech-witch isn’t so easily charmed. He’s always been a hassle. “Our converted sick room is still housing way too many. We felt it best to keep you up here to rest.”

“With ten locks on the inside?” 

Baekhyun’s smile tightens. “All just precautions, I assure you.”

Baekhyun leans in and rubs his hand just far enough Jongdae’s leg to make the younger one hitch his breath. With a seductive little squint and a coy bite of his lips, he’s sure that Jongdae will understand what a hand to his inner thigh means. Baekhyun has complete control in this space when Jongdae finally relaxes into the bed.

“Now, tell me, how exactly did you think performing an illegal incantation was going to go?”

Jongdae bows his head into his chest, eyes diverting into the thin sheets on his body. He’s got guilt written all over his face. He speaks with the smallest tone, “I … I wanted the promotion.”

Baekhyun squints suspiciously. “That’s not like you at all.”

No, out of character completely. Even if the tech-witch is inquisitive and a bit of a pain, he’s never been that selfish. In fact, he knows that Jongdae goes out of his way to be unselfish. He lends hands to everyone who’s studying, despite still being an initiate. He offers his rations to those with extensive training, and he makes it a point to help with chores. 

When Jongdae still remains bashful and wordless, Baekhyun sighs. This isn’t good. Nothing about this is good. The Elder pinches at Jongdae’s thigh to get his attention, and the other shakes out of his thoughts.

“You better have a straight story for me, kid. There’s a lot of people asking questions, and if you don’t have something that is believable, well …,” Baekhyun scoffs. “They’ll eat you up alive.”

Jongdae is hesitant in his answer, contemplating yet again. Baekhyun doesn’t like this at all. He has almost every initiate wrapped around his finger. He’s supposed to know everything and be trusted by all of the coven, yet here innocent little Jongdae is making up lies on the spot and hesitant to answer. All Baekhyun’s work is spoiled.

“Okay, fine. But it’s pretty crazy,” Jongdae resigns quietly. Baekhyun waits with bated breath. “I heard a call from the beyond. It sounded like … oh, you’re never going to believe me.”

“Try me,” Baekhyun pushes.

Jongdae grimaces and finally relents, “It sounded like whimpers from puppies and mewls from kittens. You know how much I love animals, Baek, I had to–“

“You’re practically one yourself,” Baekhyun snorts, which gets a flicker of a glare from Jongdae. It’s fleeting.

“I had to reach out. The spell was already in my head, like it just came so naturally, but I don’t think I’ve ever read anything about portals like that. I don’t know …,” Jongdae trails. He sounds so defeated and confused. “And then that guy was on the other side, just waiting.”

Baekhyun lets the information sink in. He believes that Jongdae had never read anything about portals before. Those books about restricted magic are prohibited from being on the coven’s shelves, and most books were burned for the safety of other magic users. He’s sure that Jongdae could get his hands on a book like that through some underground connections (aka, the internet), but Baekhyun would have heard it long before Jongdae ever made a connection. It was Baekhyun’s business to know everything about the coven he represents. 

The other thing that strikes him is Kyungsoo. He doesn’t believe for one second that Kyungsoo was coincidentally on the other side of Jongdae’s pity trip for animals. He’s sure that Kyungsoo must have wormed his way through Jongdae’s head, or perhaps they made a deal. When Kyungsoo was alive, he was quite the deal maker, living up to his name as the devil. 

But how Kyungsoo ever got to know Jongdae so intimately without Baekhyun ever knowing scares the hell out of the Elder. Just how far did Kyungsoo’s tendrils dig into the tech-witches mind?

“And … how are you feeling?” Baekhyun asks, running through another thought in his mind. Theses portals are banned for a reason, mostly because of it’s severe side effects, including death of the user. Jongdae looks ashen, but at least he isn’t dead.

“Fine, I suppose. I’m just drained. My energy and mana are low,” Jongdae shrugs weakly. 

Baekhyun folds his arms across his chest, and disappointment sinks in his voice. “You’re right. This is crazy. And pretty unbelievable.”

Jongdae gapes, “But it’s true!”

“Even if it is, no one will believe you. I’m sorry.” It’s harsh, but it’s the truth. Or, at least, it’s what Baekhyun needs to say in order to save this coven. “The Priestess will be here in less than an hour to investigate the illegal portal opening. I’m afraid that what you’ve told me will not reflect well on you.”

In every moment, Jongdae looks more and more distraught. He starts to hyperventilate, “I-I can’t just lie to the Priestess.”

“Do you want to be expelled from magic forever? You want to go back living in your parents basement as a _computer engineer_?” Baekhyun raises his voice, desperate for Jongdae to understand the consequences. Truths are righteous, but lies save skins. Jongdae won’t be able to live as a truth-teller. He’ll need to learn to live with a little extension of the truth, or else he’ll perish. 

Baekhyun hovers over the younger witch and cups his jaw. The other is terrified, Baekhyun can feel it underneath his fingertips. It’s the most genuine thing he’s felt all day. “You don’t need to outright lie, just make your story convincing.”

Jongdae hesitantly flickers his eyes to Baekhyun. They shimmer with wetness, scared and shaking. He folds into himself, tucking his chin into his chest. Baekhyun strokes his cheek softly, thumb grazing his prominent cheekbone.

Jongdae, now utterly defeated, whimpers, “Tell me what to do, then.”

Baekhyun brightens internally with yet another victory tucked in his belt. He still cups Jongdae’s face, smoothing out the wrinkles of sorrow etched into him. 

“What you told me before. Act self-serving.”

Jongdae wets his lips and tests out his persona, “So, I wanted to impress to get the promotion. I wanted to get the Priestess’s attention. I just planned to open the portal, nothing else…. That man just happened to be on the other side.”

“Great,” Baekhyun breathes. There’s a new light in Jongdae’s eyes, something that’s sinister within that will surely convince the Priestess. It certainly gives Baekhyun the creeps if he stares too long. “Don’t mention that the spell was in your mind.”

Jongdae pauses to think. “… I got it from a sealed book and left it on the other side as I passed through?”

Baekhyun nods. “Where is it really?”

Jongdae swallows, and for a split second it looked as if he was considering a lie. “On my tablet. It’s smashed up.”

“Excellent,” Baekhyun says brightly, patting the others cheek. This will go a little more smoothly than he thought. He knows Jongdae won’t act up, especially now with the threat of going back to his old life swirling over his head. Baekhyun has finally put Jongdae in check and he intends to keep him close. With this information, he doubts Jongdae will go far, especially with using illegal magic.

As the Elder moves to get up, Jongdae quietly calls, “Baekhyun.”

“Yes?” He turns back with a quirked brow. Jongdae darts his eyes to the sheets and twists his hands in them nervously. Baekhyun internally groans and then reaches out to smooth at his skin as a soothing gesture.

“Will I be in trouble?” Jongdae mutters, pursing his lips in a pout. He acts like he’s a child still, even though he knows what he did was horribly wrong. 

Baekhyun smiles softly anyway. “Don’t worry your pretty little head. Everything will be fine.”

Baekhyun reaches up to ruffle at his hair and gently cup his face. The other finally looks to him with worried eyes, and Baekhyun melts a little. He’s cute. He’s asking for all this attention, Baekhyun swears to it. Jongdae’s eyes are little pearls of chocolate, and his lips are forever kittenish. He’s got a little color of pink in his cheeks, and his lips are rosy too. Baekhyun is reminded the day of Jongdae’s first persuasion and how easy it was to have him wrap those kitten lips around his cock.

Baekhyun leans forward and presses his lips against oa corner of Jongdae’s mouth. The kiss is simple and chaste, and Jongdae doesn’t ask for more. When Baekhyun pulls back, he gives an award-winning act. He pulls his face into concentration, even though he’s already made up his mind.

“I don’t think you’ll be up for our activities tonight.”

Jongdae’s eyes widen, scared suddenly. Baekhyun continues, “Not when you’re so weak like this. I wouldn’t want you to be winded. But, I’ll tell you what, you can still participate.”

He lights up like a Christmas tree, and Baekhyun internally smirks at his work. “I’ll let you pick your replacement. Chanyeol perhaps. Or maybe Jimin?”

And just like that, Jongdae sinks in disappointment. The light fades from his eyes. He’s cast aside as his punishment, replaced and locked away in an abandoned room. Yet, he still whispers in compliance, “Jimin.”

“Wonderful,” Baekhyun chirps as he raises himself from the bed. Just before he exits the dusty room, he leaves Jongdae with a parting gift. “Rest up, young witch. The Priestess will be here to investigate. We wouldn’t want you comatose now.”

He doesn’t even spare a glance at Jongdae’s reaction. He already knows it in his heart. The other is distraught, disappointed, and now sulking in his own actions. Even if he went in with good intentions, Jongdae still left the coven with a bad name. There’s rumors spreading through the world of the coven and all their rebellious resurrection plans. Other clans think they might be getting desperate seeing as Baekhyun’s manor has been on the losing side of battles as of late. 

Baekhyun knows he has to prepare for retaliation, and he’s already exhausted just by Kyungsoo’s sudden appearance. He doesn’t need another attack on top of it.

-

The Priestess and her entourage roll up within the hour in black SUVs just outside the manor. Baekhyun waits in the entrance foyer while the servants stand completely poised in their positions, heads bowed and knees locked. Other witches are told not to gawk, but some still poke their heads through walls until Baekhyun bonks their heads and they scurry away. 

The head butler, a half-elven breed quickly gets the door before the Priestess even heads to the door. Baekhyun waits patiently with folded hands as five guards in red stroll into the manor, then the Priestess, and another five guards in back. 

“Welcome home, Priestess,” Baekhyun greets politely with a formal bow. The Priestess wears a long black cloak with a hood that shields her entire head and she does not speak in front of any of the servants. She simply pauses in the entrance and gives a silent nod before Baekhyun continues. “Please, this way.”

A few guards proceed forward with her into the West wing as she walks beside Baekhyun. She’s taller than him and her wrists are much thinner than his – like a model at first glance. Once the onlookers have been passed, she finally releases a sigh as she pulls back her hood and lets it drape onto her back. She is stunning, eyes lined darkly to accentuate her icy stare. Her lips are plucked with a cherry red stain and her skin is simply flawless. Baekhyun admires his sisters beauty (but knows that she’ll lose it faster than his own). 

“Baekhyun,” she states simply. Even a crack of a smile hasn’t reached her lips yet.

“Yoona,” he replies with a nice smile. “You’re looking pretty today. You only needed ten guards to step outside the palace today?”

She throws him a half-hearted glare and then her lips quiver into a small smile. They don’t have much in common, only blood between them. Yoona is the reserved child of the family, poised and proper, and sometimes cold. Baekhyun was always the troublesome little brother, flying toy cars around the manor and casting spells for pranks. Perhaps that’s why Yoona got the position at Headquarters and not Baekhyun.

They continue down the West Wing hallway, nearing the end where the stairs would meet. The trail of guards behind them gets Baekhyun slightly on edge. 

“I’m not here for you to flatter me,” Yoona says flatly, but Baekhyun hears a ‘thank you’ somewhere between the lines. “I’m here to investigate the illegal magic used in your manor.”

“Of course, I know that. That’s why I called you. Or, rather, I left several messages for your second hand since you seemed to be too busy kissing the Supreme’s ass,” Baekhyun quips. When Yoona pauses in her tracks to study a random bookshelf with her hand clenched in a fist, Baekhyun knows he’s struck gold. His faux-shock is an act. “What? Too far?”

She turns slowly to him, icy stare plunging deep into him. Despite it being summer, he’s suddenly shivering, and he knows his sister just flexed her spell onto him. It freezes him internally, a deadly spell that can cause organs to fail. But it passes quickly, and Baekhyun makes sure to praise her for letting him thaw. No more jokes, he knows not to mess with her.

“So, from what I’ve heard, the devil has returned? Where is he now?” She cuts it straight to the chase, no filler in between. She’s always been business, too cold for familial time. 

Baekhyun frowns, “He refuses to leave his room.”

It’s true. Despite Baekhyun being humiliated in front of the coven, the head of the manor still had to confront the newly resurrected witch. Kyungsoo wouldn’t open the door, simply saying that he needed time to get settled. Baekhyun couldn’t even pass through the door, somehow it was sealed with an unfamiliar incantation.  
Plus, Baekhyun really did not want to face that monster again. There’s a reason why he was dead in the first place.

Yoona scoffs, “Well, he isn’t a teenager. You’re the caretaker of this manor, and he’s a newly resurrected former member.”

They are climbing the stairs now, pressing on to the far reaches of the manor. Baekhyun turns silent, unfitting for him. He doesn’t know what to say, how to please the Priestess. Right now, he’s a mess of a leader, and a disgrace to their family name. He let illegal magic be performed in the manor, and Jongdae is barely alive, and a resurrection occurred. The coven has been flooded with rumors and war still quakes beneath them.

Baekhyun feels a hand against his back and it’s icy. Yoona sighs gently, “I know you two have a history, but you have to leave that behind. You are the head of this household, so please act like it.”

“Understood,” Baekhyun nods, and the hand quickly fades as they ascend. 

“As for the performer, is their body still here? I’ll need to examine it,” Yoona states, but pauses when Baekhyun gives a confused look. At the top of the steps and nearing Jongdae’s room, Yoona frowns. “Or, even the ash. I hope you haven’t discarded it so carelessly.”

Baekhyun blinks, now very confused. He swears he was explicit in his messages, but perhaps it never came through. Although, now that he thinks about it, she would have probably been there sooner if she had known of the odd circumstances. 

“Yoona, he’s still alive.”

“The performer? You must be joking. This isn’t a time for jokes, brother,” she snips, her coldness biting away. When Baekhyun stills without a crack of a smile, Yoona stiffens with seriousness. “You’re not joking.”

Baekhyun wishes he was. If Jongdae had perished, things would be less complicated. An equal sacrifice, simple and clean.

“He really is alive,” she tries the words in her mouth. She’s contemplative, stopped in her tracks in the corridor. “And still intact?”

Baekhyun curtly nods, “As far as I can tell.”

Yoona gets this inquisitive look in her eye, one that is dark and pure. Her ice chips away, and a darkness creeps into her smile. Her interest is peaked. “Show me.”

“Of course,” Baekhyun says, guiding the way. As soon as he steps into the direction, he hears a door creak open. As if on cue, a familiar stoic face appears, one that Baekhyun has been dreading to see. 

“Oh, Kyungsoo. Welcome back home,” Yoona praises with a wide smile. Kyungsoo bows respectfully to her.

“Yoona, it’s good to see you doing well,” Kyungsoo quietly replies with familiarity in his eyes. They share fond looks, and Baekhyun stiffens with an ache. It’s disgusting how friendly they are with each other.

“We should get moving. We may not have long. The performer is weak right now,” Baekhyun interjects before the two reunited witches get acquainted once again. Yoona nods in agreement, yet doesn’t follow.

“Kyungsoo, you should come as well. You play an equal part in this,” Yoona directs, and there’s still a coldness to her voice. Kyungsoo stands a little straighter, a little more respectable, and follows without question.

Jongdae is housed in the highest corner of the manor, the farthest from the main entrance and the farthest from any current witches dormitories. The room was a part of the old dormitories, but as membership dwindled, the rooms became vacant spaces for soul-departed witches. Now the majority lives in the East side, and they never spare a glance to the West unless in remembrance.

When they approach the door, Yoona raises a questioning brow to the door with ten padlocks. Baekhyun chuckles, “Precious cargo.”

“Does ‘precious cargo’ have a name?”

“Kim Jongdae.”

He murmurs a spell under his breath for each lock sealed with an individual spell. One by one, the locks swing open, each hitting the wood frame like a gunshot. No one flinches, all very familiar by Baekhyun’s powerful charms.

Once finished, the door creaks open and reveals a pale Jongdae barely awake amongst white linen sheets. Baekhyun gestures Yoona to step ahead, and the Priestess obliges with a tight face. Baekhyun files in, along with each guard. Kyungsoo follows at the end and secures the door. All surround the room, and Jongdae blinks with sudden awareness, his eyes full and wide.

“Priestess,” he says in a whisper as he struggles to sit up in the bed to address her. She politely flickers a small smile of appreciation in his attempts. She doesn’t say any encouraging words just yet, and Baekhyun is sure it’s purely because of Jongdae’s surprising victory over a sure death. 

“Hello, Kim Jongdae.” 

Baekhyun can see Jongdae visibly stiffen at the reciting of his name, but Yoona continues. “I’m here to investigate the magic performed by you the other night. This is purely standard procedure, no need to be nervous.”

Jongdae swallows nervously despite her words, “Yes, ma’am.”

Yoona gives the company in the room brief glances. “I’ll give us privacy, then.”

The Priestess steps forward, her long gown streaming past her as a blackened trail. She murmurs a spell on her lips and raises her arms in a circling motion. Baekhyun knows her abilities well. Yoona creates a secure bubble, something that the Priestess can share with another being without their private conversation bleeding outside the bubble. It helps with investigations, like a portable interrogation room.

When Yoona finally breaks out into a smile as she sits comfortably on Jongdae’s bed and her lips move without audible sound on the outside, Jongdae eases into the bed. Baekhyun knows that their shared mother would be proud if she were still alive – she was a witch with impeccable skills as a persuasive fortune teller.

“So,” Kyungsoo begins, standing three feet away. “Was it coincidence that you put this charge in my old room?”

Baekhyun snorts, laughing to himself. “Coincidence? Sure. Make this about you.”

Kyungsoo’s face still stays stagnant and his tone is ice cold. He watches the two interact in front of him, watching curiously when Jongdae agrees to terms. “And it’s just a coincidence that there was an enchantment on the door.”

“For his protection,” Baekhyun chirps easily. He can feel Kyungsoo get frustrated. They’ve always had this issue – Baekhyun always had an answer, no matter what. He talked back no matter what, because that’s how they grew up. They were rivals, witches competing to be an Elder. Baekhyun boastfully showed his skills while Kyungsoo reveled in a humble victory. 

“Aha,” Kyungsoo mutters, unimpressed and skeptical, but says nothing more. He looks onward, waiting patiently for the private bubble to end. Baekhyun takes his time to look over the newly resurrected witch. He looks exactly the same as the day he died, youthful and with a stern etch in his face. His hair is a bit longer, but still dark as night. His frown is every bit of a scowl that Baekhyun remembers. He’s poised, too proper for a young age, and still looks as if he’s fighting for an Elder spot. 

Baekhyun remembers the young boy that slaughtered villages with anger bleeding from his eyes, but most of all, he remembers the boy that gave him the time of day.  
Yoona releases her bubble, concluding her private investigation of Jongdae. She gives Jongdae a brief warm smile before standing up straight and returning to her previous side of the room, isolating the witch on trial. She keeps everything hidden, nothing can be read on her face.

“Kim Jongdae, you’ve made your side of the story clear to me. I am now able to make an informed decision on your sentencing.”

Baekhyun watches with an eagerness ripping into him. He’s never been so quiet, and it’s hard for him to be still. Jongdae’s eyes dip sadly, and he speaks clearly and formal, “This was my fault. I take full responsibility for my actions.”

“Good. It’s mature of you to take responsibility,” Yoona says with a nod. “That’s why I’m giving you a promotion as an Elder with Do Kyungsoo as your first apprentice.”

Baekhyun’s heart nearly stops, and he can’t help the words that sputter out, “Yoona, that’s a bit far –“

“Under the coven’s rules, if a witch wishes to return to a coven by any means, then they have to submit themselves through initiate trials once again. Jongdae has the blessing and burden of controlling this mishap.” Yoona barrels through her duties with her ice-cold demeanor. She gives Baekhyun a side glance that frightens him. “If you wish to go against the rules of the coven, then interrupt me again Baekhyun.”

Baekhyun’s gaping mouth slowly closes and his jaw tightens. Just beyond Yoona, Kyungsoo stands with his hands folded politely, unfazed. Jongdae, the innocent charge, sits quietly, and has an obvious shocked expression. No one was expecting a promotion, especially Baekhyun. He didn’t expect the Higher rulers to let illegal magic go unpunished, and for a complete resurrection of a destructive witch to return to a coven. No, Baekhyun never expected Kyungsoo to return, at least not this soon.

“Kim Jongdae, you are now an Elder of this coven. In the next months, you shall have Do Kyungsoo study underneath you,” Yoona informs, guiding Jongdae’s gaze to the man dressed neatly in black next to her. “Your coven leader will also provide guidance through your trials. Good luck, young witch.”

She turns, exiting with each guard filing after her. Baekhyun is frozen in place, unsure of what step to take after this. There’s a mass in his throat that he can’t seem to swallow. His power seems to have reached its limits; even though he’s felt brave enough to face his sister in the past, he can’t find the words to slip past her decision. Everything hits too close to home – buried bones resurrected, and a rug pulled from underneath him. 

He can’t oppose a Chairman’s decision, unless he’d like the whole coven to be denounced. He has to obey his sisters will. 

“Baekhyun?” squeaks a quiet voice.

The Elder meets Jongdae’s shaky eyes. He’s scared, unsure of the future. It affects Baekhyun with a burning rage. Baekhyun doesn’t want to comfort him. He wants to smother that scared puppy with a pillow and paint the room with his drained veins. 

“Rest,” Baekhyun commands, outstretching his arm a whispering a charm that carries across the void. Jongdae’s eyes slump instantly. “We’ll speak about this tomorrow.”

He doesn’t even spare Kyungsoo a glance as he turns on his heel and the dusty room. The Elder wants to retire to his room after the trial he went through. He never thought his own sister would approve of Kyungsoo’s requests; he never thought Jongdae would be promoted so easily. All control he had crumbled in front of his eyes in seconds.

Unfortunately, red-hooded guards lead him to the end of the staircase where Yoona waits with clasped hands. Baekhyun can’t escape with her expectant face and her guards towering over him. He descends down the stairs and shrinks in front of her with a frail confidence.

She does not say anything of it, paying no mind to her brother’s weakness. She draws an outline with a spell laced in her fingertips, sealing them in a confidential bubble. There’s a distinct staleness in the air, and an absence of depth to the room. “That boy is lucky to be alive. A resurrection spell like that needs an equal sacrifice to keep the balance.”

Baekhyun frowns and snips at the elder, “You think I don’t know that? I’ve had a search of the grounds and a head count of each witch just to make sure he didn’t sacrifice an innocent.”

Yoona makes a face, a simple little scrunch, and it’s the subtly in that little twitch that makes Baekhyun’s mind spin. Why would two siblings – ones that have held secrets for years – be trapped in her constricting bubble? Why has Kyungsoo been readily accepted? _Why is her heart racing -?_

“Keep an eye on him,” Yoona says lowly before she pops the bubble and turns with her red guards in tow. 

“Of course,” Baekhyun says a little late, but Yoona walks away already knowing that her brother will do as he’s asked. He will do it to save his ass. He will do it for the coven.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here's another installment!  
> I've got a skeleton of the story, so stay tuned for more updates!


	3. Dusty Bookshelves

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I do not own Mademoiselle de Maupin or the short story La Llorona. *spoilers for them*

It takes time, but Jongdae is standing shakily on his feet by the end of the week. He’s gained most of his mana back, but his muscle strength had been temporarily put aside to preserve his mental strength. He was force fed most meals, making sure that his body didn’t wither away. However, the thing he was deprived the most of was interaction. His food was served by one elven slave that never spoke. The same elven slave made his bed, changed the sheets, and helped the young witch bathe when it became absolutely necessary. Everything that Jongdae needed help with felt absolutely dehumanizing, and he wished to recover faster.

Jongdae tried speaking to the elf, but the other refused, closing the door with a flat face. He misses the simple casual conversations between his brothers and sisters of the coven. He misses the elven maids snickers at his lame jokes, and he misses the satisfaction of lifting a spirit. 

He cannot leave the room, no matter how many attempts. The locks can be opened from the outside, but they each are laced with an enchantment that Jongdae can’t see. He’s tried to bribe the elf for information on the locks, but he simply shakes his head and carries on with his chores. Jongdae hasn’t even seen Baekhyun in the past days, despite Jongdae’s new rank change. He’s only heard his voice in passing, but it’s mostly in whispers. 

Half the time, he can’t even sleep. He’s had a reoccurring nightmare – one of a silhouette figure dripping a slick red from their fingertips. It creeps Jongdae out so much. Sometimes he thinks the figure is just standing right outside his room and will drown the young witch with a flood of red.

All he is left with is his own company, and his own thoughts bore him. He doesn’t even have any technology to play with. He’s already rewired the electric lighting in the room, but there’s nothing but dust and bookshelves left to scavenge through. There’s tons of books lined on the shelves, but just like everything else in the room, it hasn’t been touched in years. 

A bored Jongdae is something that no one wants to mess with. His playful attitude has recovered much faster than his mana, and he’s getting antsy. He’s desperate for any sort of entertainment, and the untouched books tap into his interest. Jongdae’s bare feet pad across the floor, and his knees wobble on unused muscles. He steadies himself against the dusty shelves, catching his balance, before eyeing the dust covered binds of novels. He hasn’t touched a book since before he joined the coven; now almost everything is accessible on the internet. Jongdae smears his hand against each spine, uncovering a hint of their titles. The tech-witch wipes his web-like dust on his bottoms with disgust and squints at the titles. None of them are too appeasing, mostly world history, like any other mortal would read. It stirs only a little interest in Jongdae’s head, particularly why normal human history would be stuck in a witches manor, but it’s a passing thought.

He carries on to the next shelf, passing by black, green, and red spines. Nothing jumps out when the titles pass through his thoughts –

“ _That one_ ,” a voice, not his inner narration, enters. It’s deep and there’s warmth to it. Jongdae’s heart nearly skip a beat at the sudden intrusion. Normally, Jongdae would laugh it off, but he’s itching for conversation – even if it’s inside his head. He does what the voice wants anyway. Jongdae’s eyes freeze on the title he lands on. 

“British colonization of the 19th century?” Jongdae repeats with some hesitation, but also disgust. 

“ _Yes_ ,” the voice commands, echoing in his head. 

Jongdae reluctantly plucks the text and skims through the old pages. It’s a historical text book, something Jongdae had seen briefly (mostly because he had the power of the internet!). It’s dry, boring. There’s nothing to entertain except for a few brief quarter page photos devoid of color.

“Wow, I didn’t think it was possible, but you might actually kill me with boredom.” 

“ _This is a history text, not a coloring book_ ,” the voice scoffs, mocking Jongdae’s obvious disappointment. “ _Go to page 1107_.”

The voice still triggers curiosity. Jongdae’s fingers flip through the thin pages automatically, not even trying to stop. The voice, it’s so familiar, and something Jongdae craved. Jongdae finally comes to his senses, dusty fingers just stopping sort of the thousandth page. “Who are you?”

The voice doesn’t speak right away, and Jongdae is wiggling in the silence. Jongdae tries to rack his brain for the reverberating tones bouncing around, hoping that something would trigger a memory. Even a week devoid of social interaction has Jongdae’s brain scrambling. 

“ _Go to the page_.”

“Fine, Mr. Mysterious,” Jongdae relents, easily giving in. There’s nothing else to do except that. He’s nearing the section, turning the pages over slowly as he heads into the section about religion, specifically Hinduism highlighted in boldface. 

“ _You can read it to yourself_ ,” the voice instructs. 

_An endless circle of deaths and rebirths(samsara) is controlled by our karma. Our actions have a reaction, good and bad. There is only one freedom (moksha) – positive karma. Otherwise, the cycle continues._

At the edge of the page, there’s tiny characters that scribble familiar words – crushed rose, acorns, skeleton –

“That’s the recipe for the portal,” Jongdae whispers to himself, and slowly but surely he recognizes the voice. He tests it out, calling out loud, “Are you … the Devil?”

“ _Somehow when you say it, it sounds really lame_ ,” he says, albeit a little flatly. Jongdae feels slightly insulted.

“Dick,” Jongdae mutters as he paces around the room. He’s never heard someone else in his head before, at least not since the whispers, which he ultimately concluded that Kyungsoo on the other side of the portal. “How are you doing this? Talking to me in my head? Is this a part of your charms? What is this?”  


In the silence, Jongdae lets out a frustrated groan and pleads, “Please just talk to me. I’ve been in here for days, I need someone to talk to.”

“ _You might want to keep those thoughts to yourself. You sound like a crazy person_.”

Jongdae growls and flops himself onto the bed once again. Frustration hits Jongdae like a freight train, and he’s suddenly screaming into his pillow. He doesn’t like the sound of Kyungsoo in his head, yet he’s begging for some kind of interaction. He’s getting desperate, something he’s never thought he would have to resort to.

“Just answer me, please. This is humiliating,” Jongdae whines into the pillow. There’s a resounding silence that answers the tech-witch, and Jongdae finally completely collapses into his makeshift bed, groaning into the pillow. The whispers fade, and suddenly there’s an empty space in his head. Despite Kyungsoo withholding information and being a flake, Jongdae still enjoyed the small interaction he had with the other. At least he was willing to spare a few words. But Jongdae still feels so lonely.

After a few wallowing sighs and self-depreciating thoughts, Jongdae returns to the reincarnation spell written on the pages of the book. There, all written in a fading ink, was the recipe in incredibly accurate detail. It’s in the exact same order and wording as he had in his head, as if he wrote it. However, Jongdae doesn’t recognize the handwriting as his own. It’s tight and neat, the characters written tinier than his own. Jongdae is sure he’s never touched this book in his life.

Now that he thinks about it, this room is filled with many mysteries. The room has been untouched for years with the amount of dust collected on everything, except for the newly implanted bed that isn’t decorated with dust. There’s a desk with locked drawers (Jongdae finds charms etched to each in his newfound boredom) and bookshelves filled to the brim with texts and literature. Most are historical novels, most of which Jongdae already studied in his normal non-magical life. It’s hardly entertaining, and they are fairly predictable. One country goes to war with another country over a disagreement on repeat. Some lie, some try to save face, and others are obliterated and live on only in textbooks. There is not a historical book on magic that is presented in the outside world, mostly because those that are not capable of strong magic have banned its presence. Some world leaders were jealous of this power and bred fear into the public to never use magic. It’s a safeguard, mostly for them to retain their power over a fearful public. It also separates magic users into an underground lifestyle. 

Jongdae escaped that world through a simple lie. His parents knew of his heightened abilities with technology, but ultimately assumed that he just mastered a hobby. He went away to a “special trade school” when he graduated middle school, and then left his family behind without ever telling them the truth. There was no trade school – just the manor. He wasn’t studying at a new university far away – just at the witches manor with a terrible secret to keep. Sometimes he wants to leave and just spend a night with his family, hug his parents close and revel in their warm embrace. He wishes he could tell them everything. He wishes for a lot of things.  


Jongdae carries on, skimming through the book Kyungsoo told him to open, even though his voice doesn’t echo in his head any longer. Perhaps he scared him off. 

The day goes on, Jongdae still trapped in the dusty room with limited company. He flops on the bed after hours of skimming through books. Curiosity has been sated and trampled on. He wishes to break free. He wishes to complete his new task as an Elder, now that the Priestess has granted him the promotion. It’s nice to be recognized, especially for something so drastic, but Jongdae is uncertain of the future. He doesn’t know to train another witch, especially when that witch is already so powerful. 

“ _You’ll find your way_.”

Jongdae’s body goes rigid. He nearly chokes on his breath. “Jesus, don’t scare me like that.”

“ _Don’t be hard on yourself_ ,” the voice answers, avoiding an apology. Jongdae melts down to the floor. “ _You’re an Elder now. You can do anything. Yoona doesn’t appoint just anyone_.”

Jongdae doesn’t like this sinking feeling. His own thoughts, especially the self-deprecating ones, are open to the stranger. Jongdae isn’t in control of anything in his mind. Who knows what else Kyungsoo can scavenge through.

Perhaps Kyungsoo knows even those feelings, so Jongdae stops his racing heart and changes lanes.

“That’s the Priestess? You know her personally?” Jongdae asks aloud, a little quieter. He’s never used the Priestesses name before, mostly because he didn’t know her well. Baekhyun never invited her over and never addressed her by name in any context, the exception being the other night. 

“ _Yes, we knew each other before I passed_ ,” Kyungsoo replies flatly.

“Well, you’re on a first name basis. So, like acquaintance-knew, or, you know, _knew-knew_?” Jongdae feels his genuine curiosity sneak in with a sly raise of his brow and perky smirk. It feels natural. 

“ _We were friends, yes, but not much more_.” Jongdae opens his mouth to spew his thoughts, but Kyungsoo already beats him to it. “ _And don’t you dare think about it in any other context._ ”

“Ooh, _just friends_. Got it, touchy subject, I understand,” Jongdae’s snicker comes naturally. “Come on, I’ve been locked in here for nearly a week. I’m working with what I’ve got here.”

Jongdae slides down fully onto the floor, his back leaned against the bedframe. The mattress is stiff compared to the old rooms luxuries. If he wanted to, he could graze the edge of the bookshelf with his outstretched foot and knock a few dusty books off its shelving. The imagery of the bookshelf collapsing with all the books fluttering about, clinging for a safe landing with no pages crumpled is a promising thought in Jongdae’s bored mind.

“You must know what this feels like. Being trapped, locked away,” Jongdae sighs as he rests his bed back into the stiff mattress. He closes his eyes and focuses on his thoughts. The bookshelf avalanche doesn’t sound as horrible an idea now. Some chaos could spruce up his life. At least he would kill some time by rearranging it upright.

There’s no immediate response, so Jongdae continues to roll, “Of course, I’ve been here for a week, but you were gone for … how long?”

Again, there isn’t an immediate response. Jongdae waits this time, patient now and full of hope. His eyes peel up to the ceiling and he studies the lines in the wood just as he did previous nights ago. At a different angle, the wood carves into a mocking smile and then a curiously older face. 

Kyungsoo’s voice is tired and the softest Jongdae’s heard. He nearly misses it, “ _Five years._ ”

Five whole years.

Dead, gone to the world. He’s missed so much. The wars, the births and many deaths in between. The change of power, the new recruits. 

It’s obviously not a great subject, especially since the man just escaped deaths grip not too long ago, but being isolated from the world like that without going insane is truly remarkable. Jongdae is naturally curious.

“What’s your secret?” Jongdae asks and fills the void of Kyungsoo’s silence. “How do you stay sane for so long and not give in?”

The answer does not come easily. Jongdae’s body is shaking in anticipation, it’s so nerve-wracking. He relies on the subtle cues, like facial expressions, or little sighs of breath, but nothing comes through except for Kyungsoo’s deep tone. 

“ _I read a lot_ ,” Kyungsoo finally replies, albeit hesitantly. Jongdae can hear the waver in the consonants. 

“They have books in the afterlife?” Jongdae pipes up curiously, though he really wants to ask is he can still have Wifi for a reddit AMA on the afterlife. (“First question – is there a God and is he a flying spaghetti monster?”)

“ _No, and definitely not. I’m sure everyone would love an internet connection in Hell_ ,” Kyungsoo replies, and Jongdae feels heat in his cheeks. Kyungsoo really could read his mind. “ _I wrote down all that I could remember from books I’ve read in my life, even the nursery rhymes. No one was around, so I reread them to myself._ ”

Jongdae’s heart sinks a little, “That sounds …”

“ _Lonely?_ ”

“…I’m sorry,” Jongdae offers, though he doesn’t know why. He supposes he said it because everyone apologizes these days, it can’t be helped. Apologizing for things that are out of hand are just wastes of breath, but Jongdae can’t help but pity Kyungsoo and his hardships. “I would hate that. I can barely stand being alone by myself for a week, let alone five years. I like being around people.”

Kyungsoo’s voice – Jongdae is still debating whether it’s just his imagination or not – is comforting. There’s some warmth that Jongdae finds in his voice, and Jongdae pictures a smile on his heart shaped lips, even though he’s never seen it in person. His physical presence would be top tier, but Jongdae can settle for the occasional head conversation. Anything but the cold, empty silence. 

“ _Can I make a suggestion?_ ”

Jongdae’s heart skips. Kyungsoo’s voice sounds sincere, much like the whisperings of before. Of course, Jongdae would really do anything at this point. 

“ _Can you read something to me?_ ” Kyungsoo asks gently, and Jongdae is already pushing himself up off the floor without question.

“Anything?” Jongdae asks while his hands wipe away at the dusty spines. He picks through the shelving.

“ _Anything._ ” Kyungsoo pauses and then adds, “ _I’ll forewarn you, there’s not a lot of entertaining reads to choose from._ ”

“Oh, come on. If _Mademoiselle de Maupin_ doesn’t scream a good time, I don’t know what will,” Jongdae draws on sarcastically as he thumbs through dusty pages.

“ _It’s actually not that terrible_ ,” Kyungsoo mutters grumpily, taking light offense to the mockery, and it makes Jongdae’s mouth stretch with an almost forgotten grin. “ _What matters is that I’m willing to listen_.”

Jongdae likes that proposition immediately, especially now that he knows that the other won’t abandon him. He flips through the first pages and skims some lines before clearing his throat, “ _‘It’s not women I want, it’s a woman, a mistress. I want her, I shall have her and it will be soon’_...”

Jongdae scrunches his nose in distaste as soon as the words leave his lips, “What a prick. I already hate him.”

Kyungsoo administered a small chuckle in surprise, and it makes Jongdae feel a little light-headed. “ _Most do. Continue_.”

After some time of rereading the horrible weepings of the narrator, Jongdae grows tired of the whining. He can’t help but comment on the monstrous narrator and his horrible love life. It helps the time pass, and soon Jongdae forgets that Kyungsoo’s voice is just in his head. It feels like the other is just on the other side of the wall, sitting close enough to hear and to encourage Jongdae to read with little chuckles or bites of encouragement. 

“He’s so picky. If he gets with anyone at this outing, I’m sorry for them,” Jongdae whines. He skips through some passages about religion and depression, etc. Kyungsoo doesn’t mind, saying he’s already read it countless times. (Jongdae trudged through most of it before huffing, “Not to be rude, but this is fucking boring.”)

“ _Funny you say that_ ,” Kyungsoo muses. “ _Rosette, the woman in pink, and him. They’re a thing_.”  
Jongdae gasps, “No. Oh God no. That poor woman, wasting her time with this jerk-off.”

“ _Keep reading. I’ll let you know the good parts to read_ ,” Kyungsoo continues to encourage, while Jongdae reads aloud. It’s a nice gesture, especially after the wicked ride they shared coming through the portal a week ago. Jongdae didn’t pin Kyungsoo to be the hospitable type, but he supposes he forgive Kyungsoo for being a little less human-like. He was dead after all.

“ _‘What a shame he’s a man, or what a shame I am not a woman._ ’” Jongdae says aloud and then briefly breaks for commentary. “Wow, so he’s really in love with a man named Theodore? Even though Rosette is literally a Godsend to him?”

“ _It’s a little more complicated than that._ ”

“I know, I’m not even half way done with the book.” Jongdae skims through another three-quarters skeptically. He groans, “Oh god, is he going through a teenage-boy ‘no homo’ moment?”

“ _Many times,_ ” Kyungsoo replies and Jongdae nearly flops on the floor. He chuckles at Jongdae’s whining mess. “ _I won’t make you go through that. Let’s go to the good parts._ ”

The day goes by fast. The sunset has passed, and dinner was served hours ago. Jongdae liked the plate clean in nearly minutes before returning to his cornered page and passing the hours once again. Jongdae lights the electricals in the room with a snap of his fingers and continues to read through the fanciful literature. Most of it is boring, but Kyungsoo takes the abuse of his novel rather well. 

By nearly midnight, Jongdae gets to most interesting part. He thinks Kyungsoo has nearly fallen asleep, especially when his words are warm and dragging. He hums a little at Jongdae’s fervent commentary and his chuckles are dark and soothing. 

“THEODORE IS A WOMAN!” Jongdae screeches at midnight like a wolf to the moon. If anyone resided in this corner of the manor, he would have woken up all the residents. Kyungsoo groans reverberate in his head. “Holy shit. I was not expecting this book to be so progressive.”

“ _She was real, Mademoiselle de Maupin. This novel is loosely based of her life, except with some added drama,_ ” Kyungsoo explains with a tired drawl. He must be exhausted, especially by staying up with Jongdae all day. 

“Did she really have affairs with women and men? Did she really cross-dress?”

“ _Allegedly_ ,” Kyungsoo yawns. “ _I think you should go to bed._ ”

“Okay.” Jongdae pouts, slightly disappointed. He gently closes the book shut and stray dust spurts out of its bindings. Jongdae tries his hardest to not sound too excited, “Kyungsoo, will you be here tomorrow?”

Jongdae doesn’t see it, but he imagines a beautifully sprouted smile across the other mans face. He hopes that Kyungsoo can only read thoughts and not see the rosy cheeks Jongdae sports on his imaginary smiley Kyungsoo. 

“ _Sure, if it helps. I will return._ ”

Kyungsoo parts with those words, leaving Jongdae’s mind vacant. He trails to his bed with a genuine pleasantness in his heart. He doesn’t feel so lonely anymore.

As he rests, his mind still stirs. Tonight, there is his reoccurring standout character. A dark silhouette in the middle of a stream standing absolutely still. The figure is covered in a darkness, it’s build is stocky and his thick fingers drip with something dark and thick like a slime. In a flash, everything is a sickly putrid red, and then the nightmare is over.

-

The next couple of days come as blurs, just as the past week had. Kyungsoo returns to Jongdae’s mind loyally and acts as a generous audience for the captured witch. Jongdae’s meals come as a nuisance and an interruption, and he scarfs them down easily. He wants more time to be with Kyungsoo. Their interactions have been more satisfying than food, even if they are miniscule and superficial. 

One hour, Jongdae gets frustrated and asks in desperation, “Do you think you could get me out of here? I could work to make a spell to disarm the locks. Or you could, but that’s asking a lot.”

Kyungsoo sighs, and Jongdae swears he hears the locks jingle on the other side. “ _I wish I could. Baekhyun placed a spell on the locks specifically for me. I won’t be able to enter the room_.”

“That’s what I get for being hopeful,” Jongdae huffs indifferently and turns to the next page of _La Llorona_ , which Kyungsoo helps translate. “Alright, so she’s just forever wandering murdering other children? What a nightmare.”

Kyungsoo doesn’t say anything, which Jongdae has learned to know that’s a pondering pause. He’s thinking of something else, and without physical insight, Jongdae is stuck uncomfortably with his own thoughts.

“ _Jongdae, can you check something for me?_ ” 

Jongdae can’t necessarily say no, especially when Kyungsoo asks nicely. There’s no demands in his voice, not like when Baekhyun requests something. Usually there’s a tingling sensation around Jongdae’s temples with Baekhyun’s requests, and he buzzes with approval. 

“Sure,” Jongdae places the short story book back.

“ _The encyclopedia. 1990._ ”

“Why?”

Kyungsoo sighs deeply, “ _Scavenger hunt._ ”

“I’m not a child,” Jongdae scoffs, insulted, but grabs the red-spine encyclopedia anyway with slight interest. “What am I looking for?”

“ _January, in the margins_ ,” Kyungsoo instructs, and Jongdae skims the pages. In each margin, there’s scribbles of text, most illegible and unintelligible. Jongdae’s shaking his head, but then realizes that Kyungsoo can’t see him.

“I can’t tell,” Jongdae says as he flips through the pages and squints. “Are these scribbles supposed to mean something?”

Kyungsoo doesn’t respond, thinking once again. Jongdae flips through each page, but nothing comes up. “ _Try May._ ”

Jongdae flips through those pages, and lo and behold, there’s an incantation written neatly on the side. Jongdae wants to question why, or even how Kyungsoo knew it was there, but Kyungsoo’s voice already barges in. “ _Read it aloud to me, please._ ”

Jongdae straightens the book and enunciates clearly, “‘My call is to the hearts: the bull, the sheep, and the bird. My words are the sweetest you’ve ever heard. My family is yours, your loyalty is mine. Kiss your pain away and leave pasts behind.’”

It’s a strange poem, an incantation that younger witches could write in a blink. Anything with a spirit behind it could make a spell, and poems are the easiest to write. Jongdae doesn’t understand the meaning, and he certainly doesn’t understand why Kyungsoo is so interested.

Suddenly, Jongdae hears a jangle at the door, and it freezes him in place. The metal locks begin to shake, rattling against the door. Each lock suddenly separates, each clasp snapping back against the door like a gunshot. There’s so much magical energy released from the locks that it makes Jongdae wonder how powerful Baekhyun’s spells really are. 

Each shot, ten in total, sends an equally painful slam into Jongdae’s heart, and then suddenly the door starts to creak open. Jongdae stills, his mind in a panic when Kyungsoo doesn’t answer. Jongdae’s breath is caught in his throat and his heart is just underneath it, beating frantically. There’s a zap of electric current flowing between his fingers and a half-written spell is coming to him as defense. He just hopes his lips can form the words before the assailant comes through.

The door fully opens and out comes a silhouette in black. He steps forward into the light, and Jongdae can finally see his features. He’s not much taller than himself, clean shaven, and dressed in comfortable black jeans and a baseball shirt. His eyes are naturally wide, eyebrows thick and neutral, and lips drawn closed. 

“Hi?” Jongdae hesitates when his newly appointed charge busts into his new room. Kyungsoo’s eyebrows perk up expressively.

“Hello,” he says lowly, and then moves on as if it was just a normal day. He beelines for the desk drawer, which also has a lock, and quickly mutters a secret password that snaps off the lock. To say that Jongdae is puzzled is an understatement. He’s dumbfounded.

“How did you get in here?”

Kyungsoo continues to rummage through the drawers, tossing out endless papers. Perhaps it’s one of those bottomless drawers. He says bluntly, “Through the front door.”

“No shit,” Jongdae huffs, hands now on his hips. “I meant how did you get through the 10 locks that were charmed specifically against you? That’s some seriously powerful magic.”

“Yeah,” Kyungsoo throws away as he rummages through more. He throws a plastic figurine at Jongdae’s corner, and the tech witch has seconds to dodge it. Somehow, in that corner, it expands into a miniature castle figurine carved with dark wood. 

“That was a lame-ass riddle. A five-year old could write something deeper than that,” Jongdae snorts, crossing his arms over his chest in annoyance. 

“Hmm. That’s Baekhyun for you,” Kyungsoo says barely under his breath, and Jongdae smirks at it. He’s never met someone who despises Baekhyun so much and is an equal match. Everyone worships him. 

Jongdae tries looking over Kyungsoo’s body to peer into the desk drawers, but the other is hunched over far. The curious tech witch pouts. “What are you looking for?”

The silence is drastically cold, and the smile Jongdae imagined on the devilish witch has faded from his memory. He wonders how it got there anyway. It’s not like Kyungsoo ever offered such kindness in person. He only presented himself with a fake tone of pleasantness. 

It still hurts. The one who helped him through countless days of entrapment is just plain and standoffish in person. 

When the Devil lets out a triumphant laugh, Jongdae perks up. Kyungsoo lifts a small black notebook from the endless drawer. There’s nothing distinct etched into it, it’s a simple notebook. Kyungsoo’s lips have turned in a wonderful little smile and his eyes are half closed in content. He thumbs through the pages, each rustling on their own accord. Jongdae can’t see the contents, but somehow knows there’s importance in each page.

“What’s in it?”

Kyungsoo’s eyes snap to Jongdae, and suddenly that content has transformed into annoyance. His eyebrows are knit and drop low. The kind smile has vanished, a flicker of his plush lips settles into a cold line.

“Nothing.”

He clasps the notebook together, the pages slamming together suddenly, and tucks it in his pocket. It vanishes. “I thought you would bolt through the door by now.”

Jongdae eyes the door, now wide open and locks broken off. He’s more surprised by Kyungsoo than anything. “I’m not just going to ditch you.”

Kyungsoo narrows his eyes with genuine scrutiny, eyeing the young witch. Something catches on in Kyungsoo’s mind, because all of a sudden, he blink with wide eyes and shapes his mouth with realization. “Oh, sorry, I didn’t come here for you.”

Jongdae scoffs and gestures to the notebook, “You’re telling me you just came to my room for that book?”

Kyungsoo’s silence is the answer that Jongdae wishes he wouldn’t endure, and he’s quick to exit the room. His bare feet pad across the empty Wing, and he rushes out to the stairwell. He’s making his escape, now with an extra incentive. However, as soon as Jongdae is near the stairwell, he catches wind of slave chatter, and he’s gone cold. 

“Shit,” Jongdae mutters to himself as he rushes back to the room before the elven staff find him roaming. His heart beats a thousand times a minute before he’s safe in the room once again, door shutting quickly behind him. 

“What are you –“

Kyungsoo is cut off by each lock snapping back into place, effectively trapping both witches inside. A defeated Kyungsoo sighs long and hard, his breath seeping out til the last drop. He frowns at the tech witch. “Great. You just locked us in here.”

“I … didn’t mean to,” Jongdae swallows the lump in his throat. Kyungsoo’s stare is a match to his Devil demeanor, ice cold and deadly. 

A quiet knock on the door signals the elf’s return for Jongdae’s breakfast, and Jongdae freezes in the moment. Kyungsoo stiffens suddenly.

“ _Call him off._ ”

“I can’t,” Jongdae whispers back to the other witch. He hears the first lock detach by the elf’s magic keys. Jongdae looks around the room frantically for a hiding spot, and then points to the corner near the door. “Quick - go hide.”

Kyungsoo gives a reluctant stare, but Jongdae presses a silent plea. He can’t help but feel his nerves on fire as the elf goes through half the locks already. Kyungsoo reluctantly stands at the corner and waits for the door to swing open. Jongdae’s heart pounds in sync with each lock snapping open, and he feels anticipation in his throat. He doesn’t know what to say or even how to act normally. Should he sit? Should he talk? Should he –

“ _Shut up and stay still._ ”

Right.

Jongdae blinks back to the door and stands a little straighter to greet the elf. The door opens and covers Kyungsoo completely, blinding the elf from the other witch. The elf greets up to Jongdae’s pleasant smile and sets the tray down to the bedside table. There’s plentiful breakfast there, fresh fruit and oatmeal to stick to his ribs.  


The elf wordlessly drops it off and goes back to the open door as usual, but suddenly pauses. Jongdae holds his breath as the elf inspects him. 

“Is there something wrong?” Jongdae says forwardly, almost angrily, but it was the nerves shaking him. 

The elf stands a little straighter, now standing just a head shorter than Jongdae. It’s bright blue eyes shine brilliantly, glossed with tears. It opens its mouth, but there’s nothing but choked breaths in between. Desperation shakes the elven slave to the core, all through its khaki slacks and paper skin.

Kyungsoo peaks behind the door and whispers a charm into his hand. It’s balled into a fist, and he takes a step forward from his cover. Step by step, Kyungsoo gets closer, his narrow eyes set on the slave. Jongdae gasps, “Don’t hurt him -!”

Kyungsoo wraps his hand around the elf’s mouth, muffling the slave. The elf squirms a little, but ultimately settles warmly into Kyungsoo’s touch. Jongdae roughly shoves Kyungsoo off and tends to the flushed elf. 

“I’m not hurting him,” Kyungsoo states as he shakes his now slimy charmed hand. Elven saliva is surprisingly full of glitter and makes Kyungsoo’s hand shine like a disco ball. “He had a powerful gag order spell.”

Jongdae peers down at the elf, now breathing happily and laughing for some reason. “Like a tongue twister?”

“Much worse. It was on its voice box – the equivalent to our larynx. I had to reach down and untie it,” Kyungsoo says reluctantly and disgusted. The elf, however, seems giddy about it, and suddenly latches onto Kyungsoo’s leg with a hug. “You’re welcome.”

“First time throat fisting an elf, huh?” The slave snickers, and Jongdae is slightly surprised by the lewdness. Kyungsoo groans and tries to kick off the elf, but the slave leers up at the witch. “Oh my, the Devil sure lives up to his name.”

“I’ll make you swallow another gag if you keep it up,” Kyungsoo shoots down, and the elf quickly reddens and sheepishly slides off.

Jongdae finally catches his thoughts up and interrogates, “Who put a gag on you?”

The blue-eyed elf blinks innocently, “The Master, of course.”

Jongdae nods hesitantly, although still unsure. Kyungsoo provides graciously in his head, “ _Baekhyun._ ”

“And why would your Master do that?” 

He can see Kyungsoo rolling his eyes in the background, but Jongdae pays no mind to it. Investigations are for naturally born inquisitors, unlike the silent brooding devils. 

The elf pouts cutely, “Because I like to talk. Master says it’s bad to share secrets.”

“ _This is a waste of time._ ”

Jongdae ignores the obvious displeasure in Kyungsoo’s head voice. Instead, he laughs sweetly and pokes at the elf’s shoulder, “Aww, that’s not nice. I’m sure your Master likes to talk just as much as you do.”

The elf’s pointed ears perk up instantly with interest. He wickedly smiles, “Oh, he sure does. He talks about a lot of things, especially with the Headmasters. He has many secrets.”

Kyungsoo’s brow bounces up near his hairline with interest, and the two witches share an approving look between themselves. The elf blinks with a faux-innocent and twists his shirt in his hands. “I could tell the secrets to you … for a price, of course.”

“How about I don’t send you into another dimension?” Kyungsoo growls, lifting the shorter elf by his collar. The elf squirms and squeals in his grasp.

“You wouldn’t. Please Devil, you wouldn’t,” the elf squeals. 

“Kyungsoo!” Jongdae huffs as the elf starts to tear up, but the witch doesn’t listen. His eyes are cold again, dark and with depth. Jongdae feels powerless against it.  


Elven whispers come from the hallway, and then suddenly a thunder of steps. Jongdae’s heart races, both for the elf’s release and what is charging up to the room. Kyungsoo’s dark eyes stare at the open doorway, contemplating. The elf struggles still.

“We have to –“

“Let’s go,” Kyungsoo growls in frustration as he drops the elf onto the ground with a plop. Jongdae’s already through the doorway, watching and waiting for the guards to come, and he turns back to his charge. Kyungsoo pockets his notebook and whispers a charm into his hand. Jongdae helplessly watches as the poor elf squirms with Kyungsoo’s spell and is forced with another gag order. The witch sternly warns to the elf, “Don’t sign for help.”

Kyungsoo marches up to the doorway and barely makes it out without shoving Jongdae. “Didn’t I tell you to go?”

Jongdae pouts, “Did you really need to put a gag on him?”

“Jongdae, we don’t have time for this.” Kyungsoo tries stepping outside of Jongdae’s path, but the other quickly confronts him again. Kyungsoo gives up easily with a sigh and attempts a sad look, “I had to. He saw too much. I couldn’t risk him talking.”

Jongdae doesn’t want to accept it, but he doesn’t have a choice now. Kyungsoo freed him, although under the weirdest circumstances, and Jongdae has to take it for now even under questionable morals. Had it been done without harm to the poor elf, maybe Jongdae would still be running out of the manor and back to his home. Maybe he would have left this place all together without a thought of returning. 

They head into the hallway with quick steps and Kyungsoo’s hand gently guiding him. They are hurrying down the stairs with a flight of their feet, quickly take a corner, and then immediately screech to a halt. A figure stands in their way, just about their height, with a playful curiousness stuck in their eyes. 

“Coming like a bat out of hell,” Baekhyun chuckles darkly, stilling the escaping witches. His eyes go to Kyungsoo then Jongdae, settling on the younger witch with a softer look. “Where are you going?”

Jongdae’s heart skips suddenly, and he blurts, “Taking a walk.”

The Elder gives the young witch a once-over with a scrutinizing squint, and Jongdae adds with a breathy laugh, “I needed to stretch my legs. I feel really great.”  
Every second under Baekhyun’s gaze has Jongdae sinking deeper and deeper into a hole of despair. Release comes when he gestures to Kyungsoo. “And you?”

“Just discussing my upcoming training with my teacher. We haven’t spoken much since he’s been away.” 

Kyungsoo’s hand is still on Jongdae’s back and slowly presses into his lower back. Baekhyun’s eyes are immediately follow it, and he frowns. 

“He needed to heal,” Baekhyun says, as if Jongdae wasn’t there to refute. He says it so coldly that Jongdae has this unsettling feeling in his gut.

“I feel good,” Jongdae repeats to stay relevant in the conversation. Baekhyun still looks to the hand on Jongdae’s lower back and twitches at a small smile.

“You may feel good physically, but we still need to make sure you’re cognizant. Doctor Bae will evaluate on the next hour,” Baekhyun complies and returns his gaze to Jongdae. He gives this gentle smile that has Jongdae’s stomach flirting with nerves. Jongdae turns shy underneath his stare. 

The Elder instructs, “Now, kindly return to your room.”

Jongdae’s body almost instantly moves to the instruction, as if wrapped in a spell. However, Kyungsoo’s hand on his back holds him, and a voice of reason splits Jongdae’s dream-like reality. 

“ _He never planned on letting you out._ ”

 

“Is there a problem?” 

Jongdae picks up his gaze, slightly startled. Baekhyun has his head tilted, looking curiously at him and his obvious disobedience. 

“ _He’ll lock you away._ ”

Jongdae’s heart races when there’s silence between them. Even in Jongdae’s new rank, he still feels miniscule underneath Baekhyun. The Elder takes his breath away and makes him feel like an entire world. He has a way with his stare and his voice. Jongdae wonders if everyone else looks at Baekhyun as a royal, just as Jongdae does. He wonders if Baekhyun looks only at him with such dreaminess.

“ _And never let you out again._ ”

“Jongdae,” Baekhyun sternly repeats, ready to scold him. Jongdae shakes out of Kyungsoo’s intrusive thoughts and stamps out any miscommunication. Somehow, the dreaminess around Baekhyun has flitted away, and the butterflies in Jongdae’s stomach have gone to sleep.

“I’ll go to Doctor Bae myself. I wouldn’t want to trouble her going all the way up here for just me,” Jongdae brings out a cheeky grin and pats at the Elder’s shoulder. Baekhyun just merely blinks at the friendly gesture. Jongdae’s grin widens until he’s beaming, and he feels his confidence returning. “Besides, I just started my walk.”

Jongdae continues past the Elder and down the hallway. He takes a couple steps before turning over his shoulder. The two left behind are in some type of staring match, and it looks like two cats ready to start hissing at each other over territory. Jongdae throws out, “Come on, Kyungsoo! Let’s continue our chat.”

“Of course, teach,” Kyungsoo’s lips tug instantly into a little smile before he passes Baekhyun. As they pass, Baekhyun is still standing like a statue, silent and unmoving. 

Once Kyungsoo is caught up to Jongdae, the newly appointed Elder has excitement bubbling in his stomach. He whispers eagerly, “Holy shit, I can’t believe I just did that. I pulled rank on Baekhyun.”

“Well, he is _technically_ still the leader, so you may not want to push that,” Kyungsoo whispers back, but still pats Jongdae’s shoulder. When Jongdae gives a pout, the Devil only shrugs.

“So, about your training. I was thinking we should start –“

“Stop,” Kyungsoo commands, and Jongdae whines. “As much as I hate to admit this, I think Baekhyun is right. I think you should get your evaluation from the Doctor. It could take some time to recover mentally.”

Jongdae blinks, shocked. “But I need to train you, that’s why I was promoted to an Elder.”

Kyungsoo pulls out his black notebook, but he’s devoid of any smile. He’s cold again. “No need to worry. I’ve got all I need in here. I’ve taught myself before, and I can do it again.”

Jongdae feels like there’s a draft in the room. There’s a harsh cold that washes over him and he feels useless once again. Kyungsoo goes to abandon Jongdae at the medical station door. He gives a thumbs up before giving some empty words, “Focus on getting better. Don’t worry about me.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading another installment! I'm slowly starting to invest more into this, and I'm happy to see more people join this journey! Hope you enjoy :)
> 
> *Also, I promise to have more Chanyeol soon!!


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